1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to packaging and is particularly directed to a package or carton for ice cream and the like, a carton blank, and a method of folding and gluing the carton blank into a reclosable top-opening ice cream carton.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ice cream and similar products are packaged by dairies for ultimate sale to consumers. The bulk of the cartons currently in use for packaging ice cream are of a type known as the lock end box. According to one estimate, such lock end or interlocking end cartons account for as much as 60% of the market.
In recent years, there has been an increased need for tamper-evident and tamper-resistant packaging. Although a number of tamper-resistant cartons have been developed over the past few years, these conventional tamper-resistant cartons typically require expensive machinery to erect, fill, fold, and seal the tamper-resistant cartons. That is, dairies using existing machinery for the interlocking end cartons cannot use that existing machinery for conventional tamper-resistant cartons; and the high cost of replacing existing machinery has generally inhibited wide-spread use of conventional tamper-resistant cartons.
The carton of the present invention, on the other hand, is not only tamper-evident and tamper-resistant, it also can be used on existing machinery (such as an Anderson 555 ice cream filling and closing machine) with relatively inexpensive modifications.
In addition, the present invention provides a reclosable cover having a very tight fit as compared to cartons formed and closed on a form/fill machine, as is the case with cartons of the Tuck-Tite and the Zip Serve constructions.